The international governing body of football (FIFA) have decided to punish Cape Verde for fielding an ineligible player, Fernando Varela, against Tunisia in the last round of Group B of the 2014 World Cup's African qualifiers Saturday.

"The match has been declared to be forfeited and awarded 3-0 in favour of Tunisia, meaning that the Cape Verde Islands will not progress to round three of the FIFA World Cup African zone qualifiers having dropped to second place in Group B with nine points while Tunisia finish first with 14 points and will now advance," reads a media statement published on the FIFA official website Thursday.

Fernando Varela was supposed to serve the full four-match suspension imposed on him after receiving a red card for in the same competition on 24 March 2013

FIFA are expected to issue the world's rankings of September that will influence the African draw of the World Cup play off, taking place Monday in CAF headquarter in Cairo.

Tunisia have now become the tenth African country to top its group; Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia and Senegal.

The play-off will determine the African's five representatives in home and away games, the first leg in the middle of October and the second in November.